Diva Dish: DIY Oil Steamers

Diva Dish: DIY Oil Steamers

I’m not a big DIY beauty girl but when my friend Kelly, who looks at least 10 years younger than she is, mentioned some at-home nightly oil concoction she’d been doing it got my attention. Mainly because her skin looked FLAWLESS and radiant and lush as she was telling me. She raved about the simple process and natural ingredients while I inspected her pores, her skintone, her texture… I was sold.

Instead of testing it out myself, we decided it would be more fun for her to show and tell. So I rounded up some friends (equal parts natural beauties and glamour girls) and we hosted a Girls Night In.

Kelly took each of us separately for one-on-one consults and walked us through the simple steps, which you can find HERE.

It’s basically as simple as mixing equal parts cold-pressed castor oil and extra virgin olive oil (I got both at Whole Foods) in a squeezy tube.

And then shaking prior to use.

Use consists of massaging about a tablespoon of the mixed oil into your skin for one minute. Then running a small washcloth under hot water. Wringing it out and letting it cool a touch so as not to burn. And finally pressing it over the oil on the face for another minute. 

Viola! Done.

The author of the original post Kelly read, Denise Prichard, notes that there is no need to remove makeup first as the oils will dissolve it. Kelly attested that this was true and we put it to the test. The author also explains how the steam helps the oils to lift dirt and impurities from the skin. Intriguing.

The whole process is absurdly cheap, ridiculously quick, insanely simple and — drumroll please — amazingly effective.

We were in AWE of our soft, glowing skin and clear pores. It was a WOW moment each time a girl left the ladies room where Kelly held court. 

I even got my boyfriend to test it out. It’s a crowd-pleaser to say the least. 

Now as someone who tests beauty products for a living I can’t continue with the oil steamers as my sole nighttime regime (although I have done it now several times and each time I am equally excited about my luminous fresh skin) so I asked the girls to use the DIY solution for a full week and then get back to me on their thoughts.

Kelly, on finding out about this skin treatment:

I read about it onlineand was intrigued enough to try it. I found it to be amazingly effective on stubborn blackheads I have on my nose. Nothing ever worked before. Dermatologists had prescribed lots of various salicylic acid products. How nice to find a treatment that feels good, is relaxing, and actually eradicates the problem – cheaply, effectively and pleasantly.

Kelly, on DIY beauty concoctions:

Didn’t all lab-tested skincare products ultimately start as DIY concoctions?  I think if you went WAY back in time you will see that they did.  But often the ingredients were too expensive and needed to be replaced with synthetic counterparts.  Or they were unstable and needed preservatives to increase their shelf life. 

Ali, on instant benefits: 

Instantly I had softer, glowing skin. My skin felt very clean. Not greasy at all. My skin actually drank up the oils. My pores looked smaller.

Vanessa, on expectations and results:

I like to look for natural treatments to avoid parabens, fragrances and preservatives. I was hoping to moisturize my skin and get rid of the blackheads and large pores.  After the first use,my skin had a very nice glow to it and was smooth and not oily at all. 

Vanessa, on results after one week:

As I used the oil nightly my pores seemed to reduce and the impurities in my face diminished. Some nights I steamed my face longer and did extractions. I felt I got better results when I steamed longer. After the 4th night my face felt extremely tight and I noticed my frown lines and lines around my eyes diminished greatly.

Tessa, on whether she would create the oil mix in the future:

Yes!  My skin glowed and I noticed that it seemed to drink up the oil.  I’m not very knowledgeable about skin care products and get really overwhelmed by all of the options out there.  I get sucked in by marketing promises and end up buying things that don’t work for me — or things that weren’t even right for me in the first place.  It definitely adds up so I love it when I can find something easy and inexpensive that gives me the results I want.

Christina, on lifestyle benefits:

I do a lot of yoga and spin classes so I’m always worried about sweat and dirt getting trapped in my pores. I found a total release with this mixture.  Instantly my pores were dirt-free.

Christina, on incorporating this treatment into her skin regimen:

I will definitely continue using this product.  It’s all-natural and it gives your skin a serious dose of moisturizing — and love — at the end of the day. I do have my guilty pleasures with some of the more expensive creams — especially my eye creams! — however adding this in will save how much I use of it and money in the long run.

Tell us about your DIY concoctions, or try this one out and let us know what you think!



4 Comments

  1. Denise Del Russo

    Ooooh LOVE! I’m going to have to try this! 

  2. 0uy0v90duypno

    Ooooh LOVE! I’m going to have to try this! 

  3. 1i6mo237l3fij

    I’m sold too!!  I will try this out for sure

  4. Lauren Cosenza

    let me know what you guys think! i also have been using it to shave (another one of kelly’s suggestions) and it’s great for the legs and bikini line. leaves you silky smooth. oooh la la.

    XOLC